AIR CONDITIONING

STUDENTS IN SCHOOL DURING HOTTEST MONTHS

Did anyone in the Department of Education consider the heat in classrooms when they decided to switch to a year-round schedule that has school beginning Aug. 1 rather than after Labor Day?

They say there is no money for air conditioning, and then they make a nonsensical calendar change that has students in school during the hottest time of the year. I question the logic behind that decision.

ULTIMATE FIGHTING

AMERICAN CULTURE IN A RACE TO THE BOTTOM

What a sad commentary on our society! American kids are surrounded by violence on TV, in the news and our movies, and they imitate it.

The latest stupid fad is ultimate fighting as "entertainment." Our culture seems to be in a race to the bottom.

POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS

ALLOW NO DONATIONS FROM CORPORATIONS

Our state legislators say they want to clarify the rules regarding how much money corporations can contribute to political campaigns, and are considering bills that would increase the amount that corporations can contribute, in the name of clarification.

Here's another suggestion: Zero.

Can you get any clearer than that?

MAYOR'S PRIORITIES

CITY BUDGETS FOCUS ON CORE SERVICES, REPAIRS

I was alarmed when I first read the headline of your report on the proposed budgets the city administration presented to the City Council.

Devoid from the article was the fact that about 35 percent of the operating budget consists of noncontrollable fixed costs the city must pay or budget for to insure fiscal stability. These include debt-service payments, employee pension and health benefit contributions, and collective bargaining salary raises. Excluding these costs, the operating budget will increase by 5.5 percent over the current fiscal year.

Having said this, I do want to thank The Advertiser for fairly outlining Mayor Mufi Hannemann's priorities in the proposed FY 2009 operating and capital budgets. In particular, it was important to acknowledge that most of the budgets are focused on core city services and repairing long-neglected infrastructure needs — public safety, road repairs, sewer rehabilitation, solid waste disposal and transportation services.

All totaled they consume 45.9 percent of the operating budget and 88 percent of the capital budget.

When combined with the non-controllable costs, you clearly see no-frills, basic budgets. And, the budgets are balanced without tax rate or fee increases, despite flattening real property assessments.

We in the city administration look forward to the council review of the mayor's priorities for the next fiscal year.

We know that the people of Honolulu will appreciate our efforts at holding firm to addressing the basic needs of the city and its infrastructure.

CRUELTY

ANIMAL ABUSE LINKED TO HUMAN PROBLEMS

Lately, there have been many news stories and letters to the editor regarding animal cruelty, including the dog who was stolen and killed (for food), the "pet" pigs who were brutally killed (for food), and of course the cruel treatment of "downer" cows, which resulted in the largest meat recall in U.S. history.

What is the common thread, the underlying issue, in these cases? The answer is that our culture and economic system are built upon a habitual way of ignoring the interests of animals. If we thought of animals as conscious individuals whose lives have value, we could not treat them so horribly.

Many people object to cruelty on moral grounds, and are saddened or outraged by acts of cruelty. Others think animals fall outside the bounds of ethics, and to these people I say: Humans aren't the only important species inhabiting the Earth, even though we act that way.

If our culture is to survive, humans must change our thinking about our relationship to all the others who share it with us. It is in our self-interest to extend our circle of compassion to include them.

The way we use and abuse animals is linked to the human problems of racism, poverty, world hunger, ecological damage, sexism and war.

CUSTOM OF EATING DOGS IS HEINOUS TO MANY

Two incidents of cruelty to animals were recently reported in the media. In one, a pro golfer was charged with killing a protected migratory bird by hitting golf balls at it. In the second, an unidentified Marine was shown tossing a puppy over a cliff in Iraq, and the puppy could be heard yelping. In both cases, the perpetrators should be brought to justice and punished.

However, I want to ask why people who kill and eat dogs in Hawai'i are not being arrested and incarcerated under the law against cruelty to animals. My sister, who used to live in Kalihi, told me that her neighbors often slaughtered, barbecued and ate dogs. Not wanting to be harassed by her neighbors, she never reported it to the police, which is a shame. But, surely other people could step up.

A bill to criminalize the killing and consumption of dogs was drafted by someone in the state Legislature in 2005, but it was controversial and did not pass. Opponents declared that in certain cultures dog meat is considered a delicacy.

Since many of us own dogs as pets, this custom is especially heinous to us. Can't something be done about this?

RAIL

MAGLEV NOISE LEVEL LOWER WITHOUT BARRIER

Lawrence Spurgeon of Parsons Brinckerhoff (Letters, March 13) neglected to mention other fixed-rail systems in his comparison of noise levels between steel-wheeled light rail and rubber-tired systems.

He indicates that, with noise mitigation measures, light rail's noise level can be reduced to just above 70 decibels.

Just to set the record straight, the maximum noise level the Mitsubishi-Itochu magnetic levitation monorail system generates is 60 decibels — without the need for a noise barrier.

OBAMA

SHAME ON FERRARO AND CLINTONS FOR COMMENT

Shame on Geraldine Ferraro for saying, "If Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position" as a leading contender for the Democrat presidential nomination.

Shame on the Clintons, who know the sickening sound of this bell cannot be unrung.

The best response to this slur by Ferraro, the honorary New York Leadership Council chairwoman of Clinton's campaign finance committee, is to contribute money to Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign, which I have just done.

Enough is way more than enough.

DLNR INITIATIVE

AHA MOKU MEMBERS COVERING OWN COSTS

Having attended an informational and inspirational presentation recently at the Kula Community Association by Maui Aha Moku Council members on the establishment of Act 212, it was shared that the individual island committee members have been funding their own travel, photo copy costs, and other miscellaneous expenses associated with conducting statewide community outreach meetings to inform the public on how to participate.

The Legislature approved the funds in 2006 for 2007 and, to date, the funds have not been released.

Why, Gov. Linda Lingle and Department of Land and Natural Resources Director Laura Thielen?

The Aha Moku Councils are the most promising natural resource management initiative to date, one based on Native Hawaiian generational knowledge and a commitment to perpetuating our cultural resources into the future.